Bow construction for barges and the like



March 27, 1951 B. WILLIAMSON 2,546,353

BOW CONSTRUCTION FOR BARGES AND THE LIKE Filed July 3, 1948 4Sheets-Sheet 1 7 /0 T 7 7 2 m7 m7 ,3 ,,J Flga 1 I Fig.4

Jnventor Bore: Wzummsou W, KM

attornegs March 1951 B. WILLIAMSON BOW CONSTRUCTION F OR BARGES AND THELIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 3, 1948 Juventor Bone VV/Lumwso/vGttornegs B. WILLIAMSON March 27, 1951 Filed July 3, 1948 March 1951 B.WILLIAMSON BOW CONSTRUCTION FOR BARGES AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Filed July 3, 1948 Patented Mar. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEBow ooNsTRUoTIoNroaBARGEs AND THE-LIKE Boyce Williamsom; Birmingham,Ala., assignor t Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation, a corporation ofDelaware A1313liczttibn Jilly 3, 1 948, Serial N0. 37,000

" 8' Claims. 1 My present invention relates to barges and has for anobject the provision of a barge having improved towing, and strengthcharacteristics and one which may be easily and cheaply constructed.

More" particularly, an objectof my invention is to provide an improvedbow construction for barges in which the rake bilge plates are formed ofcontinuous fabricated plate sections which are warped from a point aftof the rake to form the sides and bottom" of the corners of the bow,

and to so warp the rake bilge plates that stif-' feners secured thereonliein substantially straight linesemanatingfrom a common point at thecorner of the barge, thereby simplifying the constructionand addingstren'gthto the rake bilge without havi ng'toform the stifieners.

Another object is: to provide a barge of the character designated inwhich the contour and shape ofthe'rake bilge plates are mathematicallycalculable; thereby permitting the plates to be accurately laid out andformed by pressing, thus eliminating the necessity of having to lay thesame out in the mould: loft.

Another object is" to provide a' bow in which the upper chine lines ofthe rake bilge plates are straight lines, whereby the remaining portionsof the bow to whicl'i the upper edges of the bilge plates are" joinedmay likewise be cut on straight lines, thus further simplifying theconstruction and assembly of the bow.

A further object is to provide a bow construction of the characterdesignated" in which the rake bilges are formed of plates which" extendfrom the bow to a point'well aft of fake of the bow, thereby affording astructure in'which the rake bilge plates: are securely joined tothebarge closely adjacent the midships section thereof.

In the art towhich my invention relates, one of the most functionallyefiicient types of bow constructions for barges heretofore developed isthattypecommonlycalled thespoon bow. While functionally eflicient thespoon bow is difiicult to fabricate dueto its irregular, dished shape.A- further disadvantage of the spoonbow'is tl'i at the stifieners forthe plates forming the same must be formed to fit the contour of thebow. Even when accurately formed, stiffeners-for a spoon how aredifficult to secure in'place with the result that the strength of aspoon bow is considerably less thandesirable.

In seeking to provide a more functionally efficient'bow than the spoonbow and at the same time one which may be fabricatedby regular plateworking methods and tools, I- have disbrief, each of the bi-lges of myimproved bow comprises a plurality of plates, preferably butt weldedtogether to form a' complete plate section of a length to extend fromwell aft of the rake to the upper corners of the bow.- The aft end ofthe rake bilge plates are relatively narrow, and when assembled may lieat an inwardly directed angle to the vertical sides ofthe barge, thus tomatch the angular bilge portions of the midships section ofthe barge.Fromthe aft end forward, the entire bilge plate section is graduallywarped or twisted until the wide for ward end lies substantiallyhorizontal. The periphery of the bilge plates are joined by butt weldingto adjacent plates-forming the remainder of the bow. It will thus-beseen that the rake bilge plates are the only major irregular shapedport-ionsc-f the bow of my'improved barge, and that these irregularshapes areeasy to produce and fabricate with the usual plate workingmachinery, as will later appear.

A barge illustrating the features ofmy invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this applicationin which- Fig.l: is a side-elevational view of the forward end of my improved barge;

Fig: 2 is a sectional plan view taken generally along line II-II of Fig.1;

Figs. 3 to 8" inclusive are detail sectional views taken generally alongthe respective lines indicated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a fragmental front elevational view;

Fig. 10 is a somewhat diagrammaticperspective view of one of the sidebilge plates detached from the remaining portions of the barge;

Fig. 11 is a plan view of one of the rake bilge plates with the centerlinesfor the stiffeners indicated thereon;

Fig. 12 is a developed plan view of one of the rake bilge plates;

Fig.1'3is a somewhat diagrammatic perspective view looking aft at theunderside of the bow of the barge;

Fig. 14 is a View corresponding generally to Fig. 2 of the drawings,drawn to an enlarged scale and broken away andshowing the stiiieningplates for one of the rake bilge plates laid there- Figs. 15 to 19inclusive are detail sectional views taken generally along therespective lines indicated on Fig. 14; and,

Fig. 20 is a detail sectional View taken generally along line of Fig.14.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of myinvention, I illustrate my improved bow construction in association witha; barge having a midsh'ips section I'll. As is customary, the midshipssection is formed of bottom plates II and side plates [2. Adjacent thebottom of the barge, I may bend the side plates l2 under as indicated atl3, whereby to lie at an angle of substantially 45 to the horizontal,and secure the under bent portions to the bottom by welding or the like.The bottom plates H and the side plates l2 may be reinforced by means ofstiffeners l4 and I6, respectively. The barge may be dividedlongitudinally by a bulk head I! passing down the longitudinal center ofthe barge and may be strengthened by means of transverse bulkheads, notshown. If desired, the barge may be decked, a portion of which isindicated at i8.

The bow section of the barge, indicated generally by the numeral I 9, isformed by extending the bottom plates H of the midships sectionforwardly and upwardly as indicated at 2 l. The plates 2| are curved toform cylindrical surfaces and are disposed slightly at an angle to eachother, thereby to form a V-bottom at the center of the bow as indicatedat 22. The rake commences at the point indicated by the letter R in Fig.1 of the drawing, and it will be noted that the rake bilge plates,hereinafter particularly described, extend well aft of the rake.

The bow is completed by the provision of the vertically disposedtransverse end plate or heedlog 23, corner plates 24, and my improvedrake bilge plates 26.

As shown more clearly in the several detail views of the drawing, eachof the rake bilge plates 26 is made up of individual plates 2'! Weldedalong the lines 28 to form the complete rake bilge plate. The aft ends29 of the plates 2% correspond in width to the length of the angledportion [3 of the side plates I2, while the forward end 3! of the plate26 is considerably wider than the aft end. Each plate 26 is formed bywarping or twisting the same throughout its length so that the aft end29 remains at an angle of approximately 45, thereby to abut the end ofthe side plates [3. The forward end 3! is twisted and warped until itlies substantially horizontal as indicated in Figs. 9 and 13. The resultof thus bending the plate 26 may be determined from an inspection of thevarious cross sectional views thereof, more particularly the views inFigs. 15 to 19 inclusive. 29 of the plate 26 is perfectl flat and planeand that forwardly of the aft end the plate commences to be warpedtransversely at approximately the point at which the transversesectional view, Fig. 15, is taken. Progressing farther toward theforward end 3 I, the plate is transversely warped successively more asindicated by the sectional views, Figs. 16 to 19 inclusive. It is to benoted that the transversely disposed warped sections of the plate liecloser to the upper chine line 3! than to the lower chine line 38. Thusbending and warping the plate provides a structure which when placedagainst the plates 24, 23, and I2 permits the same to be welded insubstantially straight lines along the upper chine line 31.

The lower chine line 38 of each plate 26 is substantially straight fromthe aft end forward to approximately the point 40. From that point tothe forward end 3|, the lower chine line is curved as the plate isviewed in developed plan, Fig. 12. This particular outline of thedeveloped bilge plate causes the lower chine line to accurately matchthe edges of the plates 2| forming the bow bottom when the bilge plateis warped.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 11, it will It will be noted thatthe aft end be apparent that from the theoretical point 39 at the cornerof the barge, radial lines emanating therefrom are perfectly straight.It is on these lines that I lay the stiffeners 4| for reinforcing therake bilge plates; As. shown, these stiffeners are preferably in theform of angles with one leg welded to the plate 26. By thus forming therake bilge plates, it is unnecessary to bend the stiffeners 4|, sincethey lie along straight lines, indicated in Fig. 11' by the center lines42. The arrows on the centerlines Fig. 11, indicate the points where thestiifeners are interrupted by the transverse plates 4 Id,thoughobviously the stiffeners may be continuous if desired.

The above description relative to the stiffening members 4| may be moreclearly understood by reference to Figs. 14 to 20 inclusive. It will beseen from these views that all of the stiffeners 4! lie on linesemanating from the theoretical point 39 adjacent the corner of thebarge. As diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 11, the transverselydisposed reinforcing members 41a for the rake bilge plate are disposedat intervals, generally equally spaced from the bow aft, and the endsthereof may lie alongside the ends of transverse members 4 l b in thebottom of the barge. Vertical stiffening members in the form of channelsindicated at 4&0 may be employed along the sides of the barge and alsoalong the forward part of the bow.

One of the co-planar surfaces heretofore spoken of and lying along theplate 26 is clearly illustrated in Fig. 20 wherein one of the stiffeningmembers on the plate 26 is shown to be flat, the view being taken alongthe line XXXX illustrated in Fig. 14... Thus, and as before statedbendingof the stiffeningmembers 4| is unnecessary. The curvature for thebottom edges of the transverse members 4la may readily be cut to shape.

In assembling the plate 26, I preferably butt weld the same to thebottom plate ll along the lower chine line 38. The plate 26 preferablyis joined to the side plate l2 by lapping and weld ing the same alongthe upper chine line 3'1. At the upper corner adjacent the plate 24 itwill be found that a slight dip in the plate 26 occurs at the corners,indicated by the numeral 43. This curved configuration occurs by reasonof the rounding of the corner of the rake bilge plate at the meetingpoint of the forward edge 3! and the upper chine line 31. The plate 24therefore is left slightly long and may be out to shape with a torchduring the assembling of the barge.

In actual tests run on models made in accordance with my invention, Ihave found that my bow improves considerably the towing characteristcsof the barge. While improved towing characteristics are noted both indeep and shallow water tests, I have found that the improvement isparticularly noted when towing the barge in shallow water. For instance,at a towing speed of 7 /2 knots I have found that my improved bargerequires approximately less power than does a barge embodying a spoonbow of conventional shape.

By extending the plates 26 considerably aft of the point of commencementof the rake, I provide a completely unitary bilge structure for the bow.It will be apparent that by welding such plates in place, I gainconsiderable strength for the bow since the plates extend continuouslyto a point almost to the midships section l6.

While I have disclosed my improved bow in association with a midshipssection having angularly disposed bilges, it will be apparent that myimproved bow is equally adapted for association with a barge havingsquare or rounded bilges. Likewise, while I have not shown or describedany particular form of stern section, the stern may be made similar tothe bow disclosed, or if desired, in other shapes.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have devised an improvedbow for barges which is simple of construction, in which the stiffenersfor the rake bilge plates are secured to the plates along straightlines, and in which the towing characteristics are greatly improved overbows hereto-fore designed. In actual construction, I have found that theexact configuration of the outline of the developed plates 26 may becalculated, and that this procedure is by far cheaper and more expedientthan moulding the bow as has heretofore been customary in connectionwith spoon bows. I have also found that the strength characteristics ofmy improved bow construction are considerably improved over existingbows, and further that valuable cargo space is not lost by the need ofexcessively deep and heavy stiffeners.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptibleof various changes and modifications, without departing from the spiritthereof, and I desire, therefore. that only such limitations shall beplaced there upon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is: v V

1. In a barge, an upwardly sloping plate forming the bottom of the bow,rake bilge plates for the bow each comprising a plate warped from itsaft end toward the forward end, said aft end lying at an angle to thehorizontal and the forward end lying substantially horizontal, andheadlog and. corner plates secured to the horizontal forward end of therake bilge plates.

2. In a barge, an upwardly sloping plate forming the bottom of the bow,rake bilge plates forming the bottom sides of the bow and eachcomprising a plate secured to the outboard edge of the bottom of thebow, said plates having a wide forward end with the edge thereofsubstantially horizontal and a narrower aft end with the edge thereofdiposed at an angle to said forward edge, said plate being warpedsubstantially throughout its length to provide substantially planesurfaces lying along straight lines emanating from a point at theforward corner of the barge, and stiffeners secured to the plates alongsaid plane surfaces.

3. In a barge, sides for the barge, an upwardly sloping bottom formingthe bottom of the boW, rake bilge plates forming the outboard bottomportions of the bow, each of said plates having a relatively narrow aftend and a wider forward end, the upper chine line of each plate being astraight "line and the lower chine line thereof being partially straightand partiall curved, said plates being warped whereby the narrower endlies at an angle of less than 90 to the vertical and the forward widerend lies substantially horizontal, means to secure the side bilge platesalong the upper chine line to the barge sides, means to secure the bilgeplates along the lower chine line to the bottom of the barge, verticallydisposed end and corner plates, means to secure the horizontallydisposed ends of the bilge plates to the end plates, and means to securethe corners of the bilge plates along the upper chine lines to thecorner plates.

4. A barge as defined in claim 3 in which each rake bilge plate isstraight along the lower chine line at the aft end, and is curved alongthe lower chine line at the forward end thereof.

5. A barge as defined in claim 3 in which the rake bilge plates arewarped so as to provide plane surfaces lying along straight linesemanating from a common point adjacent the corner of the bow, and inwhich stiffeners are secured to the plane surfaces of the rake bilgeplates along said lines.

6. In a bow construction for barges embodying a substantiallyrectangular midships section formed of side and bottom plates, anupwardly and forwardly extending portion of the bottom forming thebottom of the bow, vertically disposed continuations of the side platesforming the sides of the bow, a headlog plate forming the upper forwardend of the bow, other vertically disposed plates forming the corners ofthe bow, rake bilge plates forming the bottom sides of the bow, each ofsaid bilge plates being warped throughout its length whereby the aftedge thereof lies substantially parallel with the barge sides, and theforward edge thereof lies substantially parallel with the lower edge ofsaid headlog plate, and means to join the periphery of the rake bilgeplates to adjacent edges of the plates forming the remaining portions ofthe bow.

7. In a barge embodying a midships section formed of a bottom andvertically disposed sides connected by angularly disposed plates, a bowfor the midships section comprising forwardly and upwardly slopingportions of the bottom forming the bottom of the bow, verticallydisposed forwardly extending continuations of the sides forming thesides of the bow, vertically disposed corners and a headlog for the bow,rake bilge plates each comprising a plate having a narrow aft end and awider forward end, means to secure the edge of the aft end of the bilgeplate in alignment with the angularly diposed connecting plates of themidships section; said bilge plates being warped throughout their lengthto the extent that the edge of the wide forward end lies substantiallyparallel with the lower edge of the headlog, said bilge plate being sowarped as to provide coplanar surface disposed on straight linesemanating from a common point at the adjacent corners of the barge,means to secure the remainder of the periphery of the bilge plates toadjacent members forming the remainder of the bow, and stifi'enerssecured to said coplanar surfaces along said lines.

8. In a barge embodying a midships section and a bow having a rake,members forming the bow bilges comprising a continuous plate extendingfrom the forward end of the bow to a point aft of the rake, said platebeing warped to provide coplanar surfaces along its length lying onlines emanating from the corners of the bow, and stiffeners secured tothe plates along said lines.

BOYCE WILLIAMSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,823,699 Norton et a1. Sept. 15,1931 2,054,410 Dawson Sept. 15, 1936 2,100,472 Dawson Nov. 30, 19372,299,992 Kennedy Oct. 27, 1942

